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Rural Areas Facing the Challenge of Economic Diversification: Threats and Opportunities

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A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Economics, Policies and Rural Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2023) | Viewed by 15895

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Francisco Javier Castellano-Álvarez

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Guest Editor

Economy Department, Universidad de Extremadura, 10071 Cáceres, Spain
Interests: rural development; rural tourism; economic diversification of rural areas; agricultural valorization

Prof. Dr. Rafael Robina-Ramírez

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Guest Editor

Business Management and Sociology Department, University of Extremadura, 10071 Cáceres, Spain
Interests: planning and development; strategic tourism development; tourism impact; underdeveloped region
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Francisco José Ferreira Silva

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Guest Editor

Management Department, Economy and Management Faculty, University of the Azores, 9500-321 Ponta Delgada, Portugal
Interests: tourism; tourism destinations; econometric models; economic modeling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In developed countries, the traditional agrarian vision of the rural world, which univocally identified as agrarian and rural, has given way to a multifunctional approach to this space. In the 1990s, the European Commission, through the then novel Leader Initiative, launched rural development programmes, whose main objective was economic diversification based on the development of new recreational, touristic or agro-industrial uses that were emerging. Often, the modest size of the investments associated with these programmes and their participatory development models ensured that these projects were implemented in a harmonious way in economic, social and environmental terms.

However, there is now a growing interest in other types of investment in rural areas, such as renewable energies (wind farms, photovoltaic plants), diffuse industrialisation projects and even the extraction and processing of strategic minerals. These types of investments can be valuable alternatives for achieving the longed-for economic diversification, although it is no less true that they involve abruptly altering the traditional agricultural and livestock uses of the rural environment.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to provide scientific and academic evidence regarding the implementation of these two types of projects: their long-term viability, their impact on the demographic and economic structures of the regions or districts in which they are implemented and the change in traditional land uses, as well as any other indicators related to the socio-economic development of these environments. In this endeavour, all types of case studies are welcome, which, based on different methodological approaches, approach the subject under study, both in developed countries and developing regions of the world affected by the same problems.

Prof. Dr. Francisco Javier Castellano-Álvarez
Prof. Dr. Rafael Robina-Ramírez
Dr. Francisco José Ferreira Silva
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

rural development
rural tourism
agricultural valorization
agroindustry
depopulation
natural resources
renewable energies
less developed regions
case studies

Published Papers (12 papers)

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Editorial

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5 pages, 206 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Rural Areas Facing the Challenge of Economic Diversification: Threats and Opportunities

by Francisco Javier Castellano-Álvarez, Rafael Robina-Ramírez and Francisco Silva

Agriculture 2024, 14(4), 623; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14040623 - 17 Apr 2024

Viewed by 344

Abstract

This Special Issue delves into the challenges and threats associated with rural economic diversification [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rural Areas Facing the Challenge of Economic Diversification: Threats and Opportunities)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

17 pages, 302 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rural Depopulation in Spain: A Delphi Analysis on the Need for the Reorientation of Public Policies

by Federico Martínez-Carrasco Pleite and José Colino Sueiras

Agriculture 2024, 14(2), 295; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14020295 - 11 Feb 2024

Viewed by 815

Abstract

In recent years, various plans have been implemented by the central government with the aim of promoting more coordinated policies to address depopulation. The severity of this challenge in Spain, which has continued to intensify, underscores the need for more decisive action. The information presented in this research is derived from a survey conducted in two rounds with 35 experts in the field, following the Delphi methodology. The general objective was to assess the opinions of an expert panel on relevant aspects concerning policies to combat depopulation in Spain. Firstly, confirming the significance of the depopulation challenge; secondly, evaluating whether the actions taken so far have been insufficient and poorly coordinated, necessitating a reconsideration; and finally, establishing a prioritization of actions that should be implemented without further delay, encompassing various areas (financing, taxation, coordination, etc.), are among the many measures advocated by the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) and proposed in the recent diagnoses by highly authoritative institutions such as the Bank of Spain or the Economic and Social Council of Spain (CES). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rural Areas Facing the Challenge of Economic Diversification: Threats and Opportunities)

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19 pages, 1385 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Can Access to Financial Markets Be an Important Option for Rural Families to Break the Return to Poverty Due to Illness in China?

by Zeyang Sun and Xiaocang Xu

Agriculture 2024, 14(2), 165; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14020165 - 23 Jan 2024

Viewed by 659

Abstract

Background: In China’s post-epidemic era, the income of rural households has decreased, and the function of property preservation and appreciation is expected to weaken, which gives the financial market an increasingly prominent role in blocking the barrier of poverty caused by disease. Method: Based on CHARLS data, this paper empirically explores the relationship between financial assets and health expenditure and catastrophic health expenditure (representing the incidence of return to poverty due to illness) to provide evidence for the development of financial markets to help stop the return to poverty due to illness and consolidate the achievements of poverty alleviation. Results: The results show that the influence of financial assets on the incidence of catastrophic health expenditures is significant and has a threshold effect. At the same time, financial assets have a greater impact than housing on preventing the return to poverty due to illness. Therefore, moving to the financial market can be a viable option for rural households to stop the return to poverty due to illness in the future. Policy suggestion: The government should standardize the development of the financial market and scientifically allocate financial resources to ensure the stable preservation and appreciation of household financial investment. Rural family members should actively improve personal financial literacy and reasonable planning of family assets to achieve stable preservation and appreciation of family financial investment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rural Areas Facing the Challenge of Economic Diversification: Threats and Opportunities)

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14 pages, 494 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Do Clean Toilets Help Improve Farmers’ Mental Health? Empirical Evidence from China’s Rural Toilet Revolution

by Ruohan Zhang, Jialan Zhang, Kuan Zhang, Dingde Xu, Yanbin Qi and Xin Deng

Agriculture 2024, 14(1), 128; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14010128 - 15 Jan 2024

Viewed by 864

Abstract

The mental health crisis poses a major challenge to global sustainable development. In response, the United Nations has launched an ambitious plan to “reshape the environment that affects mental health”. Clean toilets are an important measure of civilization, yet it is unclear whether they are helping to alleviate the global mental health crisis. Therefore, using data from a large sample of rural Chinese households and introducing an instrumental variables approach based on the IV-Tobit model to address endogeneity, this study quantitatively discusses that clean latrines have a positive effect on the mental health of farm households. The results showed the following: (1) 89.8% of Chinese rural households had clean toilets, while the average farm household depression index was 12.568; and (2) clean toilets helped to improve the mental health of farmers, which means that the depression index of farmers with clean toilets decreased by 66.9% compared to farmers without clean toilets. The findings of this study can inform the development of policies to mitigate the global mental health crisis and contribute to the resilience of global development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rural Areas Facing the Challenge of Economic Diversification: Threats and Opportunities)

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16 pages, 792 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Long-Term Survival of Investments Implemented under Endogenous Rural Development Programs: The Case Study of La Vera Region (Extremadura, Spain)

by Francisco Javier Castellano-Álvarez and Rafael Robina-Ramírez

Agriculture 2023, 13(11), 2130; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13112130 - 11 Nov 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 797

Abstract

One of the main objectives of rural development programs is the economic diversification of rural areas. In the context of the European Union, the application of the Leader Initiative (referred to today as the Leader Approach) is perhaps the best example of this type of policy. Based on the case study methodology, the objective of this work is to analyze the viability of the projects promoted by this type of program. A long-term scenario is taken as a reference, and this is precisely one of the main methodological innovations of this research in relation to most of the analyses focused on the impacts of rural development programs. The results of the research show (a) an orientation of the development strategy towards the promotion of rural tourism and (b) differences in the survival of the projects according to the type of productive measure under which they have been implemented: agricultural valorization and marketing projects offer better results than those promoting rural tourism or the promotion of SMEs and crafts and services. These results call into question the notable concentration of investment in projects aimed at creating tourist accommodation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rural Areas Facing the Challenge of Economic Diversification: Threats and Opportunities)

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19 pages, 2126 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Agritourism Value Chain: An Application to the Dehesa Areas of Extremadura

by Enrique-Eugenio Ruiz-Labrador, José-Manuel Sánchez-Martín and José-Luis Gurría-Gascón

Agriculture 2023, 13(11), 2078; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13112078 - 31 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1181

Abstract

The serious socioeconomic problems faced by rural environments in general, and the agricultural sector in particular, in peripheral European territories since the end of the last century have led to depopulation phenomena, the abandonment of unique traditional uses, and the loss of cultural identity. The promotion of a well-understood agrotourism sector in these territories, as an income-diversifying activity that promotes a more sustainable tourism, is a measure widely applauded by the scientific community, which seeks to curb such problems and offer an opportunity to the inhabitants who are less and less dedicated to the much maltreated primary sector. However, it is crucial to know in a personalized way the value chain associated with agrotourism and in particular that linked to the Extremadura dehesa, especially when this has not traditionally been considered a tourist resource. This paper presents a recent bibliographical review regarding the potential of the Extremadura dehesa as a viable agrotourism resource. The lack of knowledge that the tourist offer has about agrotourism and the dehesa as a business niche and diversification of income, or the gap between some activities and the appropriate channels of the value chain, are some remarkable conclusions, coinciding with those of other authors and similar territories. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rural Areas Facing the Challenge of Economic Diversification: Threats and Opportunities)

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22 pages, 2732 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Case Study of Farmers’ Behavioral Motivation Mechanisms to Crack the Fractal Multidimensional Relative Poverty Trap in Shaanxi, China

by Yao Zhang and Jianjun Huai

Agriculture 2023, 13(11), 2043; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13112043 - 24 Oct 2023

Viewed by 970

Abstract

China’s approach to addressing rural poverty has evolved from a thorough resolution of absolute poverty to a focus on providing essential support for vulnerable individuals and improving the income and welfare conditions of those who are relatively poor, taking into account multiple dimensions. This study utilizes a dataset consisting of 526 research sets collected from the central region of Shaanxi Province. The research employs structural equation modeling to examine the fractal multidimensional relative poverty trap experienced by farm households. Additionally, the study investigates the behavior motivation mechanism that can potentially alleviate the multidimensional relative poverty trap at the farm household level. The study found that (1) farm households in the central Shaanxi region are caught in a multidimensional relative poverty trap, with education poverty and health poverty having a conduction and amplification effect; health poverty and education poverty amplify employment poverty; and consumption poverty amplifies education poverty and health poverty, and education poverty further amplifies information poverty. (2) Multidimensional relative poverty in farming households creates a self-reinforcing poverty trap, and community relative poverty amplifies the multidimensional poverty trap in farming households. (3) Farmers can overcome the multidimensional relative poverty trap through the behavior motivation mechanism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rural Areas Facing the Challenge of Economic Diversification: Threats and Opportunities)

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24 pages, 6118 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Sustainable Approach to Tourism Development in Rural Areas: The Example of Poland

by Krzysztof Widawski, Alicja Krzemińska, Anna Zaręba and Anna Dzikowska

Agriculture 2023, 13(10), 2028; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13102028 - 20 Oct 2023

Viewed by 3126

Abstract

The research presented in this article concerns the issue of rural tourism, which is associated with significant economic and landscape changes in the countryside. It is important that tourist development in these areas be subject to the principles of sustainable development, which are important for the preservation of the environment in which tourism operates. The research topic is related to two of the most salient features of rural tourism today, environmental sustainability and pro-environmental behavior, which are considered the right ways to achieve sustainability goals. The main research aim presented is to indicate which of the postulates of sustainable development are being implemented and how concerning the functioning and development of rural tourism is on the Polish tourism market. Another goal is to indicate what types of resources in the rural environment are the basis for the preparation of a tourist product; for whom and how these resources are to be used; as well as the participation of the local community in the management of the resources that constitute its own environment, one of the basic principles of sustainable development. The primary method used was a document analysis and an analysis of selected websites presenting rural environmental resources used in this form of tourism. The research identified that sustainable approaches to tourism development in rural areas in Poland are appropriate with respect to the resources available there and to both natural and cultural values. For resources used in a rural environment, emphasis is placed on the protection of both elements. It has been identified that one idea for their protection is sustainable sharing, which assumes rational use to an extent that would not affect the nature of the assets but at the same time could benefit the local community. Both values are used in different ways but, in addition to their purely recreational value, their educational value is equally important each time. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rural Areas Facing the Challenge of Economic Diversification: Threats and Opportunities)

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25 pages, 1317 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does the Integrated Development of Agriculture and Tourism Promote Farmers’ Income Growth? Evidence from Southwestern China

by Yuxi Luo, Tianren Xiong, Defeng Meng, Anrong Gao and Yan Chen

Agriculture 2023, 13(9), 1817; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13091817 - 16 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1119

Abstract

The integrated development of agriculture and tourism is an effective driving force to boost farmers’ income. We utilize a quasi-natural experiment design to test how such integrated development promotes the comprehensive rural revitalization. By adopting a panel dataset of 72 counties within Guangxi province from 2005 to 2020 and a PSM-DID method, we attempt to explore the effect of the integrated development of agriculture and tourism on farmers’ income growth. The empirical results support our hypothesis that the integrated development of agriculture and tourism can effectively promote farmers’ income growth and its regional heterogeneity with respect to tourism resource endowment and economic development level. We further discuss the transmission mechanism of the integrated development of agriculture and tourism and reveal that the agricultural technology level and agricultural production efficiency have mediating effects on improving farmers’ income growth. However, a masking effect exists between the integrated development of agriculture and tourism and the level of non-agricultural employment. The possible reason is that industrial and commercial capital investment has crowded out the welfare originally belonging to the wage income and only allowed farmers to obtain the one-time land rent income. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rural Areas Facing the Challenge of Economic Diversification: Threats and Opportunities)

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18 pages, 618 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Using the RPM Model to Explore the Impact of Organic Agritourism Destination Fascination on Loyalty—The Mediating Roles of Place Attachment and Pro-Environmental Behavior

by Ching-Cheng Shen and Dan Wang

Agriculture 2023, 13(9), 1767; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13091767 - 06 Sep 2023

Viewed by 844

Abstract

Maintaining the sustainable development of fascinating resources in Taiwan’s Hualien and Taitung (Huatung) regions is the basis of organic agritourism. Loyalty not only represents tourists’ commitment to return and recommend but also serves as a goal for destination development. The purpose of this study is to propose and examine the effect of destination fascination on loyalty through a conceptualized Reasonable Person Model (RPM), mediated by place attachment and pro-environmental behaviors. SPSS21 and the linear structure relationship model (LISREL) were used as data analysis tools in this study. A total of 500 valid online questionnaires were collected through snowballing and convenience sampling. The data analysis results revealed that destination fascination has a positive and significant impact on loyalty through place attachment and pro-environmental behavior. Another finding is that place dependence, place identity, and pro-environmental behavior all have mediating effects, with place identity being the main mediating variable. The contributions of this study are mainly reflected in examining the application of RPM in fascination and loyalty, as well as providing practical suggestions for destination fascination and place identity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rural Areas Facing the Challenge of Economic Diversification: Threats and Opportunities)

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23 pages, 887 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does the Development of Digital Inclusive Finance Promote the Construction of Digital Villages?—An Empirical Study Based on the Chinese Experience

by Chengkai Zhang, Yu Li, Lili Yang and Zheng Wang

Agriculture 2023, 13(8), 1616; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13081616 - 16 Aug 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1485

Abstract

The degree of the effect of digital inclusive finance on the construction of China’s digital villages and the mechanism of action is investigated in this study by matching the digital inclusive finance index in accordance with a data sample of China’s provincial digital villages from 2013 to 2020. As indicated by the result of this study, first, the development of digital inclusive finance positively expedites the development of digital villages. Second, geographical and dimensional differences exist when digital inclusive finance boosts the construction of digital villages. Third, digital inclusive finance is capable of facilitating the construction of digital villages by deepening technological innovation and communication infrastructure construction and further enhancing the digital literacy of residents. Fourth, a positive moderating effect of internal conditions of rural residents’ consumption and external conditions of financial regulation is reported when digital inclusive finance promotes digital rural development. Based on the above-mentioned findings, the following policy recommendations are presented to advance digital countryside construction in depth. First, following the goal of building Chinese modernization, differentiated policies, with regional resource endowments, social conditions, and rural characteristics considered, should be implemented in accordance with local conditions. Second, the digitalization process in rural areas should be vigorously boosted, and it is imperative to optimize and upgrade mobile communication infrastructure, with the aim of injecting new momentum into China’s digital countryside construction. Third, investment in scientific and technological research and development funds and high-level innovative talents should be increased to endow digital technology with better independent innovation capacity and facilitate the level of innovation. Fourth, investment in education should be increased to enhance the digital literacy of urban and rural residents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rural Areas Facing the Challenge of Economic Diversification: Threats and Opportunities)

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26 pages, 1207 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Dynamics and Driving Mechanisms of Rural Revitalization in Western China

by Xiaojuan Yang, Weiwei Li, Ping Zhang, Hua Chen, Min Lai and Sidong Zhao

Agriculture 2023, 13(7), 1448; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13071448 - 22 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2053

Abstract

By constructing a rural revitalization index evaluation system and using measurement models and software such as AHP, the entropy method, the BCG matrix, and GeoDetector, this paper quantitatively analyzed the evolution mode and driving mechanism of rural revitalization performance based on the research of 131 cities and autonomous prefectures in western China to further put forward relevant policy suggestions and establish a new framework that integrates “performance evaluation, evolution model, driving mechanism, and management strategy”. Findings: firstly, rural revitalization in western China showed slow development and significant regional heterogeneity, with a coefficient of variation of 0.46 or even higher; secondly, the different dimensions of rural revitalization and development varied greatly, with the order being: thriving businesses (about 0.04) < effective governance (about 0.06) < pleasant living environment (about 0.09) < social etiquette and civility (about 1.0) < prosperity (about 0.23); thirdly, the growth and decline of rural revitalization performance coexisted in the context of rapid development in western China, and the evolution was in diversified patterns; fourthly, there were many factors affecting the change of rural revitalization performance, and different factors exhibited significant synergistic effects with each other, with super-interacting factor pairs having a force of over 0. 7 (maximum 1), including permanent population, urbanization rate, added value of primary industry, and per capita GDP as key factors; fifthly, based on the superposition analysis of the evolution pattern and driving forces of rural revitalization, western cities are classified into 8 types (including external assistance zone, general development zone, general retention zone, general demonstration zone, internal governance zone, important development zone, important retention zone, important demonstration zone) for establishment of a zoning planning and management system and design of differentiated development policies, providing a basis for “evidence-based decision-making” for the government. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rural Areas Facing the Challenge of Economic Diversification: Threats and Opportunities)

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